Driving mechanism.



No. 064,505. 0 Patented nec. 25, |900.

H.- P. mcHAnns.

DRIVING MECHANISM. (Application med Apr, 15,A 189s.

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' P'atanted ngc. 25, |900.

H. 'P. RICHARDS. DRIVING MECHANISIII.

(Application lad Apr. 15 1898.)

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VNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT P. RICHARDS, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TC J. EVARTS TRACY, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

DRIVING MCHANISM SPECIFICATION forming-part of Leners Patent N. 664,505, dated December 25, 1966.

T0 all whorlt'it 'nw/y concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT P. RICHARDS,

a citizen of the United States, residing in New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sewing-machines, and more particularly to sewing-machine- .drving Inechanism.

One object of my present invention is to provide in a sewing-machine improved driv- Ing mechanism of a construction and organization whereby the belt or band constituting one element of said driving mechanism will be constantly maintained under predetermined tension in all positions of the sewingmachine head, as when the sam'e is tilted from its working position to a position for inspection, thus facilitating such tilting of the sewing-machine head without necessitating the displacement of the driving-belt.

Another object of my invention is the provision in connection with such a driving-band running around the rotary driving and driven members of the machine of a suitable beltcontroller or belt-tightener so disposed as to coact with the idle run of the belt, this beltcontroller having its band-engaging face or point in position to be shifted by the idle run whenever an abnormal tension is put upon the latter, either when one of the rotary members just described is shifted or tilted relatively to the other (in a manner which will be hereinafter described) or when the idlerun is operated directly when the'direction of movement of the belt is reversed. Usually this band-engaging face of the belt-controller will be disposed normally within that common tangent to the two rotary members which corresponds to the idle run of the drivingband, and hence the idle run will at all times have two portions thereof traveling in two paths which intersect each other at quite a sharp angle. Hence whenever the driving member or wheel is turned backward accidentally a greater stress or tension than the normal is immediately put upon the idle run of the band, and the belt-controller or tension device being movable the latter is shifted diy rectly by the pull of the normally idle rdn,

and the tension upon thebelt is thereby released and the belt loosened to such an extent as to make it impossible for it to turn the driven rotary member and run the machine backward. It will be apparent, therefore, that by means of a single simple organization of mechanismtwo important results are obtained-to wit, the maintenance of a suitable tension upon the driving band or belt for running the machine forward in whatever posi tion the mechanism may be andl the prevention of any running backward of the machine.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide, in connection with a sewingmachine frame having a driving-wheel mounted thereon and with a tiltably-supported sewing-machine head having a driven wheel, a band extending around and of a length to permit a change in the relation of said driving and driven wheels and a shiftably-supported device engaging one run of said band and hold ing the same under tension irrespective of the position of one wheel relatively tothe other.

In the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan View of a portion of a sewing-machine embodying my present improvements. Fig.`2 is a front elevation, partially in section, of a portion of a sewing-machine such as illustrat-ed in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end view, partially in section and on a relatively large scale, of a portion of the sewing-machine head and driving mechanism as seen from the right in Fig. 2, the head of the `machine being shown locked in its normal working position. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation, partially in section, of the parts of the sewing-machine l illustrated in Fig. 3, as seen from the right in said figure; and Fig. 5 is an end View similar to Fig. 3'of the same parts, showing the head of the machine tilted back to an inspecting position and the belt-controller in the position it occupies when the head is so tilted.

Similar characters designate like allthe figures of the drawings.

The sewing-machine proper comprises'a main frame which includes a table T, supported on standards, a sewing-machine head (designated in a general way by H) whichwill parts in in practice inc'zln'de any suitable stitch-forming mechanism, and a driving mechanism (designated in a general way by D) including a shiftable belt controller, hereinafter described.

TheV Inai'n frame "of the sewing-machine comprises in the lpreferred form thereof shown in part in the accompanying drawings two table-supporting uprights 2 and 3, which may be of any suitable general Vconstruction, and a work-table T, having an elongated opening 4for the head of the machine.

The head -H of the 'Sewing-machine, which head may be of any suitable general construction, is shown embodying a bed-plate 8, having depending front and4 rear flanges 9 and 10 fandend flanges 12 and 1,3, 'which meet at th ir endsand forma hollovvir and botto'mless Yoasin g for that 'portion of the stitch-forming `inff'echauism disposed below the bed-plate 8. The sewing-machine head will in practicebe provided with stitch-forming mechanism, which may be of any suitable construction "and organization. y On'lya portion of this mechanism is shown vin the accompanying lwings, for the reason that itis in'essential present invention. In the present instance, since one of the features of the pres- 'ent improvement resides inl the vcoperation of vthis improved'drilvin'g mechanism with a tilting sewing-machine head, one m'eansjfor tiltably or pivotally supporting lsuch head is shown herein, which means, however, more particularly forms the y'subject-'matter of my [coa` te'mporaneou'sly-pending'applicationfiled ,I'anilary 5,1900, Serial No. 431 of series of ,1900, and 'therefore I 'do not claim the saine qdepen'dently of the combination above Aset flfth in the present application.` p

y As afm'eans [for 'tilta'blyor pivotallysu'ppettingtnefsewing-maeh'ine head at 'a 'peint igemcteffr'oxn the rear edge of lthe bed-plate "thfeifeof in such manner as to permit the ready removal alfldreplacement'of said head I have provided in 'connection with the table T, preferably, two head supporting brackets (designated in a general way by B and B) provided "at the forward ends thereof` with "parti7circu'lar or transversely-'slotted 'hinge iiielbers lor bearings and 15, respectively, and I have provided in connection withthe end Hanges 12 'and 13`of the sewing-machine l Head ztwo inwardly projecting slabbed jor parti-'circular pintles 16 and17, adapted v'to bev Aslipped into operative lposition fwith'in the hinge members or bearings lian'd 15, Vthe con- 'jsjtacripnland Organization of said pimples and' lbearings beingsuch that when the 'head of the machineis in the position shown in Fig.Y '3 it may bereadily disengaged from its su pportsby lifting the same upward, which will 'draw the 'pin L 'lesout of the bearings through the slotstheieoas will be readilyfundersto'od Vreference to Figs. 3 and 5 of the thawing@ 4. t

`It t'v'll loe seen by reference "to Figs. 3 and 5 that't'lie pintl'esaie cut awayor slabbed on of `lsaid bracket jat va p 'compr lpintles, that when the sewing-machine head is in theposition shown in Fig'. 3 the lower circular face of each pintle has a coperative bearing engagement with the inner circular wall of the bearing, and, further, that when the sewing-machine head is tilted backward to a position shown in Fig. 5 both curved faces of the pintle coperate with opposing interior portions of the bearing and lock the head against removal: when in this position. Each bracket in the preferred form thereof (shown in the accompanying drawings) has downwardly, forwardly, 'and 4upvva"rdly eX- tending portions, (design'ate'dub'y 18, 19, Iand 20, *resi'iectively-J the latter iof which 'terminates within the opening 4 in the table :considerablyin advance of the lrearward edge there'ofand the former `of which has a rearwardly-'extended b'ar whereby the same may be secured to the table, preferably by screws, (shown in ldot'ted lines.)

By reference to Figs. Band 5it will lo'e seen that the sewing-machine hiead is'hifnged or pivotal'lysupported "somewhat remote from the rear edge of ytle bed=pla`t'e, so that Vwhen the said hjeadis tilted to 'an ii'sp'ectin'g posi- 'tion lin said Fig. 5 the rear ed-geof said bedplate will 'ei'tend considerably vbel-oww the 'pivotalpointof said head, and as a neans for li'mitin'gthe tilting movement of 'said 'head and for 'holding 'thesame "vfhen in 1'a tilted positionfot `o'f contact with the rear portion of the t'ablel have provided, inconnection'with each headsnpporting bracket, `sto-p2abutment 19', which is shown forme'do'n fthe intermediate or fo'rwardly:extended portion 1,9

' ointsubstantiallyimidway between, bitV 'co i'sid'e'ra'li'ly below land in 'the relai lf the pivotal 'point of "said head, "said abutment fleeing disposed in Itihevpath v"of 'movement of the rear portion of the Ybedplat "8.

The driving meeiradijsm fr y nre machine isesl in the prefe'ied form "thereof 'shown "in J`the accompanying /d rawings Aadriw ing-wheel 2l, 'pivotallfy supported 'on the upright Bief thes'ewi'n@machine Trainee driven Ywheel 2'2, yfixed uto the "main `Ashaft of :the sewing-machine head, only a portion o'fwhicli `shaft iisy Shown, and which will "be 'jonaled iinsuitafble bearings, a'belt "or band 24, extendi'ng'around the driving'fa'nd l driven pulleys, andashiftably-supportedbel'tcntioller (designated in a general'w'ay by "i-n'opevrativeei'igagementw'ith one 'runoffsaid belt andho'ldin'g the saine u'n'de'r "-te'ns'ion irreispeave'of the,relativjpesirions fof 'the two wheels 21`and 22, which wheels fh'aiveftheir relancnsehange-d by thetitn'gof'thesewing- `in achinelie'ad fromgljhe positionfshowfn in YFig. 3 to t'hatis'hown in Fig. 5, or vice versa.

y "Thex beiticontroiler'c in the'preferre'jform IIO ings comprises a belt controlling lever 25, pivotally supported at 26 intermediate its ends on one of the head-supporting brackets, as B, preferably at the junction of the two portions 19 and 20 thereof, a friction-roller 27, pivotally supported at the lower end of said lever and bearing against the return run 28 of the belt, and a tension device, shown as a spring 29, fixed at one end to the upper end of said lever and fixed at its opposite end to a portion of said bracket. The band or belt will be of sufficient length to permit the necessary change in the relative positions of the two wheels 2l and22 as required by the tilting of the sewing-machine head, and the belt-controller will be of such a disposition as to take up any slack in said belt when the head is in either of its two extreme positions. It will be obvious, however,that while the belt-controller or belt-tightener nor-` mally serves to maintain the belt or drivingband in proper driving engagement with the driving member and the driven wheel, yet as said belt-tightener is shiftable in one direction for tightening the belt it is also retractable to loosen the belt and prevent the transmission of the movement of the driving member to said driven wheel. I n the construction shown the belt-tightener is spring-protracted to force the idle run of the belt toward the driving-run, and thereby take up any slack which may be present; but owing to the fact that the idle run does not travel in a single straight path defining the shortest distance between the working faces of the driving member and the driven member, at which points the idle member cooperates with said members, but that instead the band-engaging face of the belt-tightener is within the common tangent to the tworotary members which denes the shortest or straight path along which the idle run might travel, it will be seen that there is a relatively sli-arp turn in such idle-run at the point where the latter passes around the band-engaging face or wheelof the belt-tightener, and hence that any excessive or abnormal increase of the tension on such idle run will result in retracting the belt-tightenerin opposition to the evident, if the direction of rotation ot' the driving member were reversed and no pro- Vision were made to prevent it the movements of the sewing mechanism would also be reversed, which, obviously would result in spoiling the work. When, however, the

parts are combined in the manner hereinbefore described and the band-engaging faceof the belt-tightener is within the common tangent corresponding to the idle run, any reversal of the movement of the driving member will result in a pull upon the portion 28 of the idle run and a consequent shifting of the wheel 57 and the other parts of the belttightener in opposition to the force of the spring 29. This of course results in releasing the tension on the belt and loosening the latter to such an extent' as to render it impossible for' such belt to maintain an operative driving connection between the driving member and the driven wheel 20, and hence as the belt is loosened it slips over the face of the wheel 2O without turning the'latter, and thus a reversal of the movements of the sewing mechanism is prevented. It will be noticedalso. that as the driving-band usually passes around a driving-wheel ot' relatively large size said band engages a very large portion of the periphery of such driving-wheel, and an excellent coaotion of the parts is thereby assured so long as said parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3; but when the direction of movement of the drivingband is reversed, as just described, the idle run is shifted quickly, so as to withdraw from a considerable portion of the periphery of eachof the two rotary members, and this partial unwrapping of the idle run from the driving. and driven wheels assures; a very sensitive action of the parts and results in a quick stoppage of the mechanism whenever the driving-wheel is accidentally reversed during the manipulation ofthe treadles.

As a means forloeking the sewing-machine head in its working or normal positionl have `provideda locking device, (designated. in a general way by P,) which locking device in the preferred form thereof shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a springactuated bolt 30, supported for reciprocatory movements in a bearing 3l, formed in a boss on the front flange of the bed-plateand having a conical locking portion or head 32, adapted to closely t a socket formed in the face of the table T, as will be readily -understood by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, a spiral spring 33, bearing at one end against the headed end of the bolt and at its opposite end against the rear wall of the bearing, forcing the conical portion of thehead into said socket and holding the sewing-machine head against any accidental vibratory movement, and as a means for shifting the bolt to an inoperative position and for locking the same in this position I have provided a bolt-actuator, which is herein shown as a vertically-disposed pin 35, fixed at its lower end to the headed end of the bolt and extendingthrough a vertical slot in the bed-plate, the outer' end of said pin being furnished with a head or thumb-piece 35,', whereby said pin and bolt` may b e manipulated. The slot through which this pin extends will preferably be of such IIO form that the pin may be turned to a position whereby the wall of said slot will hold the same `in `either of its adjusted positions, so that the bolt may be locked in an advanced or retracted position.

Having described my invention, I claiml. The combination, with a frame having a driving-Wheel mounted thereon, of a tiltably-supported sewing-machine head having a driven wheel; a band vextending around the driving and driven wheels and of a length j sucient to permit a change i-n relation between the driving and driven wheel; and va l shiftably-supported device engaging one run l of said band on its outer side and holding the same under tension irrespective of the vposition of one wheel relatively to the other.

2. The combination, witha driving and a driven wheel one of which is supported for movement toward and away from Vthe other, f of a band extending around said lwheels and lof la length suicient to permit the movement of lone wheel relatively to the other, and a shiftably-mounted spring-actuated belt-controller in bearing engagement'with yone run of c'said band anjd holding the same under .ten- -sion irrespective of the relative positions of said wheels.

3. The combination, with two wheels supported with 'their axes in parallelism, lof Ia fixed `support -for `one of said wheels; Ia head or carrierifor the other of said wheels, pivotally supported at one side the axisof'the Wheel carried thereby; fadriviln-g-belt extending around both the wheels and of `a length -sufcientfto permita movement of one wheel bodily with relation 4to the other Wheel; `and a shiftable belt controller supported for at one side the axis'of :said 'driven kWheel.; a

belt extending around both wheels fand of fa length to permit a lmovement =of one wheel bodily with relation to the other; and fa reiactionjary ybelt-actuated controller supported free of saiddriven-Wheelcarrier having san idle Wheel in tensional'engagement with one =run -of the belt-irrespective of alterations in the relative positions of said wheels, whereby Aen -theshii'ting of said carrier inone direction the belt acts to shift saidcontroller.

5. The combination, with a :driving-wheel of large diameter and with a xed support therefor, of a driven vwheel of smalldiameter locatedabove, and lhaving -itsaxis in parallellism with, theaxis ofthe driving-wheel; .apivotally-supported head or carrier for the driven wheel, -the pivot of which support is disposed at one side the axis of said driven Wheel; a bel-t extending around both wheels and of a length to permit a movement of one wheel bodily with relation to the other; a bracket mounted on the driving-wheel support; a beltcontrolling lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends on said bracket; an idle wheel supported at one end of the belt-controlling lever in position to engage one run of the belt; and a spring in connection with the opposite end of said lever and holding the idle wheel in tensio'nal engagement with one run of said belt.

6. The combination, with rotary driving and driven members one bodily shiftable relatively to the other, of a driving-band extendingaround said members and normally movable-in a predetermined direction, and a beltoperated shiftable belt-controller coperative with the idle run of the band, and normally having its band-engaging face within that common tangent to the two rotary members Which corresponds to such ruin, and lshiftable by said idle. run to permit .the loosening of the band Von the reversal of the movement vof the latter.

7. The combination, with a rotary driving -member .and a rotary driven member one of which is shiftable bodily Arelativel y to the other, of a driving-band extending around :said membersand normally movable i-n a predetermined-direction and of alength sufficient to permit the shifting of one of said Vmembers bod-ily relatively to the other, :and a belt-operated shiftable belt-controller cooperative with the idle run of the ban-d, and normally vhaving its band-engaging face Within that -co-mmon tangent to the ltwo rotary `members which corres-ponds to such run,..andshiftable bysaid idle lrun to .permit the loosening of the band on the reversalof the lmovement of the latter.

`8. The combination, with ya rotarydriv-ing IOO IIO

memberiand .a bodily-shiftabledriven vmember, of ra driving-bandextending around said members vand normally movable in a predetermined direction, and a belt retracted spring-protractedshiftable belt-controller cooperative with the idle riun of the band and normally having its band-.engagi-n g vface within that common tangent to the two rotary members which corresponds to such run, and

.shif-table byfsaid idle Arun on aniabnormal increase -of the :tension on the latter.

l9. In asewing-machine,.thefcombinationof a `tilting head; 'a drivingand a'drfiven member; a -belt lextending around said Imembers; a lever fn-lerumedto the f ra me kof the/machine, its free -end `carrying -a pulley engaging one run of said belt in such manner as :to automatically maintain Aa uniform stress on said belt when the 4machine is running in aprcde- .termineddirection and :when the head of said vmachine isin its normal position, said belt be- IZO ing of sufficient length to allow the head to be tilted Without removing the belt from the driving or driven member.

. lO. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a tilting head; a driving and a driven member; a belt extending around said members; a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine, its free end carrying a pulley engaging one run of said belt in such manner that when said head is in its normal position and its driving member is runningina predetermined direction the stress on said belt is automatically held normal, but when said head is tilted or the running direction of the driving member is reversed the stress is automatically relaxed.

1l. In a belt-operated machine, the combination of a driven and a driving member, a belt extending around said members, and means for permitting the bodily shifting of one of said members relatively to the other Without the removal of the belt from either member, and automatically operative to ef-L fect the stoppage of the machine upon the reversal thereof.

l2. In a belt-operated machine, the combination of a driven and a driving member normally rotating in a predetermined direction, a belt extending around said members, and means for permitting the bodily shifting of one of said members relatively to the other without the removal of the belt from either member, and automatically operative to effect the stoppage of the machine upon a change in the rotation of said members.

13. In a belt-operated sewing-machine, the combination of a tiltable head carrying a driven member; a driving member normally rotating in a predetermined direction; a belt extending around said members; means for permitting the shifting of the driven member Without the removal of the belt from either member, and automatically operative to effect the stoppage of the machine upon a change in the rotation of said member 14. In a belt-operated sewing-machine, the combination with the frame thereof, of a driven and a driving member, one supported for movement relatively to the other; a belt extending around said members; means pivoted to the frame of said machine; a device carried by said means in position t-o engage said belt; and means for yieldingly holding said device in engagement With the belt so as to permit the shifting of one of said members relatively to the other and also permit said device to be automatically shifted by the belt on the reversal of the driving member to prevent the rotation of the driven member in any but its normal direction.

' 15. In a belt-operated sewing-machine, the combination of a driven and a driving member normally rotating in a predetermined direction; a belt extending around said members a spring-controlled idle Wheel located in the path of one run of` the belt, and engaging said belt in such a manner as to permit the shifting bodily of one of the.members relatively to the other Without the removal of the belt from either member, and so organized as to prevent the rotating of the driven member in a direction opposite to the said predetermined direction.

HUBERT P. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

F. N. CHASE, HEATE; SUTHERLAND. 

